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how to quilt
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Machine Quilting
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Quilting Techniques

Is there anything more frustrating than being ready to quilt only to find your tension is off? Not too loose, not too tight--how to get your sewing machine stitches just right! We all know what bad tension looks like: loops on the top of the quilt sandwich or on the backing. Good tension results in sewing...

What does the terms " sewing appliques " mean to you? Do you think of hand applique? Machine applique? The applique stitch? An example of raw-edge applique by Jane LaFazio. There are many types of applique, from the traditional by-hand techniques to the fused or raw-edge applique methods preferred...

Matchstick-style machine quilting is a sophisticated way to give your quilt a modern look. But it also works well any time you want to fill in an area on your quilt--and looks especially nice on solid fabrics. Matchstick-style machine quilting by Catherine Redford. You can use a contrasting thread to...

In my experience most quilters' stitching falls into one of two general categories. First are the ones who can quilt motifs in even, well-spaced, patterns. These stitchers are usually very good at teaching how to machine quilt. In the other camp, there are quilters who prefer to free-motion stitch...

The pebble stitch is a popular filler stitch for free-motion quilting backgrounds. It's easy to get into a Zen-like state while machine quilting little connecting circles over and over again. S-curves and curls make longarm quilting with the pebble stitch go more quickly. Stitching and photo by Angela...

A Note from Vivika: Our online editor, Cate Prato, has recently delved into traditional quilting techniques including adventures in binding. I asked her to share her experience with you . When it comes to quilt finishing , I've always resorted to an easy quilt binding like the pillowcase method....

My favorite work day is Tuesday, because that's when our office holds show-and-tell. Given the array of quilters, sewists, and mixed-media artists in our group (many of whom also knit, crochet, and make jewelry), you never know what to expect. Managing editor Rose deBoer (L) and Assistant editor...

Did you resolve to make more fiber art this year? Learn new sewing techniques ? Decrease the size of your scrap stash? Finish your UFOs? Easy piecing and straight-line quilting will use up small pieces of fabric and turn them into a modern tote. By Jean Wells, featured in Make it! Patchwork . Last year...

Looking back over the last 12 months, I'd have to say that portraiture was a big trend in modern and creative quilting . From pixel quilts made of tiny fabric squares to mixed-media quilts that enhanced fabric with paint or colored pencil, quilt artists made a lot of faces. Judging by what I've...

Every week, I go to the gym and work out with my friend Linda for an hour. I've known Linda for years and trust her: she's smart, well trained, and keeps me on my toes doing all of those exercises we all "think we know how to do" correctly. Of course, I could work out by myself, make...

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., a day when we gather with family and friends, stuff ourselves with traditional foods (or their vegetarian, gluten-free, low-sodium versions), and reflect on what we are thankful for. Some of us also watch football. Our entire Quilting Arts family feels especially...

I've used the walking foot attachment for years as a valuable tool to help me sew even stitches with slippery material and as a tool for machine quilting . The walking foot is designed to push all layers of the sewing project underneath the needle at the same time. That's a real help when there...

Hello, and welcome to stop 4 on our week-long Ho-Ho-Holiday Gift Guide for Quilters! Today I'm sharing some of my favorite gift ideas to make for your friends and family, as well as gifts for quilters that would be welcome at your guild's holiday party swap--or under your own tree. To add to...

Recently, our online editor, Cate Prato, put out a plea on Facebook, regarding the sudden change in tension on her sewing machine stitches : Sewing friends, I need advice. I have been machine piecing a quilt top for a couple hours without incident. Then the bobbin ran out and I refilled it, taking the...

Thread sketching can add lots of texture and movement to your quilts. But as anyone who has tried it knows--if you don't stabilize your work, your fabric will draw up and pull out of shape. In her thread sketching tutorial series in Quilting Arts, Susan Brubaker Knapp has addressed this issue: Stabilizing...